Bilal Hasna, Maisie Richardson-Sellers and Shabaz Ali pay tribute to local aid workers as appeal raises over £25 million
The DEC Middle East Humanitarian Appeal has reached a £25 million milestone.
Actors Bilal Hasna and Maisie Richardson-Sellers and content creator Shabaz Ali have lent their support to the appeal, and applauded the incredible dedication of local aid workers in Gaza.
In a new video posted to the DEC’s social media channels, they hear the powerful stories of a teacher, a doctor and other aid workers who are all working with DEC member charities and their local partner organisations.
Their stories are just a snapshot of the immense personal and professional pressures that local responders are dealing with every day, as they deliver lifesaving aid to people in urgent need across Gaza, Lebanon and the wider region right now. They also highlight the varied range of humanitarian support being provided by DEC charities and their local partners.
Aid worker Saaed is greeted by his family in Gaza, after a long, hard day delivering aid. Photo: CARE/Team Yousef Ruzzi
“Every day we speak to people who mourn their loved ones, mothers who worry their children won't survive the next night because of illness, and children who have stopped speaking because what they have endured has left them withdrawn and shattered. At the same time, us aid workers are also deeply affected by this war.”
SaAed, Emergency Coordinator in Gaza
Actor Bilal Hasna said, "For families trying to survive the indescribable hardships of daily life in Gaza, people like Saeed mean everything. He spends long days providing shelter kits, bedding and support Palestinians who have been forced to flee their homes... When he returns to his own family in the evening, he must help them too to find food and medicine, which continue to be in catastrophically short supply. No family should have to live without proper shelter or nutritious food.”
Dr Amal helps women deliver babies safely despite the collapse of the healthcare system in Gaza. Photo: Wattan Media Network/ActionAid
“Unfortunately, I lost contact with my family for a long time. During this period, there was a communications outage. The news might come back that there was shelling near a staff member’s family or they might be displaced and you don’t know; because you are working in the hospital.”
Dr Amal, obstretician and gynaecologist in Gaza
Actor Maisie Richardson-Sellers said, “Doctors and nurses in Gaza are working in the toughest conditions, and under unimaginable stress, whilst dealing with their own personal trauma. With the healthcare system stretched far beyond its limits, doctors like Dr Amal are working around the clock to treat as many people as they can. But right now they simply can’t meet the huge levels of need.”
Raja teaches children in a displacement camp in Gaza. Photo: ActionAid
“I ask many children... and they do not know The simplest thing - they don’t know the alphabet! They have forgotten so much. There is a lot of damage; now all schools are being used as shelters for the displaced. The impact of the absence of education on children is very tragic.”
Raja, teacher in Gaza
Save the Children supporter and content creator Shabaz Ali said, “Teachers like Raja are the only hope many children in Gaza and Lebanon have right now of receiving an education. Hundreds of thousands of children across the region are displaced and can’t go to school. In Gaza, it’s been over a year since schools shut, and an entire generation is losing out on essential life skills, and falling further and further behind. By supporting teachers and setting up education spaces, DEC charities are working hard to make sure as many children as possible have a temporary place to learn. They need our help to increase this support.”
